Detecting refrigerant leak in a refrigeration system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10126031-B2
Application number	US-201615211454-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 15, 2016
Priority date	Jul 15, 2016
Publication date	Nov 13, 2018
Grant date	Nov 13, 2018

Abstract

Devices, methods, and systems for detecting refrigerant leak in a refrigeration system are described herein. One device includes a memory and a processor configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to detect fluctuations in a refrigerant level in a refrigerant tank of a refrigeration system, determine whether the detected fluctuations in the refrigerant level are abnormal, and determine whether a refrigerant leak is occurring in the refrigeration system based, at least in part, on whether the detected fluctuations in the refrigerant level are abnormal.

First claim

What is claimed:

1. A computing device for detecting refrigerant leak in a refrigeration system, comprising:
a memory; and
a processor configured to execute executable instructions stored in the memory to:
detect fluctuations in a refrigerant level in a refrigerant tank of a refrigeration system;
determine whether the detected fluctuations in the refrigerant level are abnormal based, at least in part, on an amount of time between the fluctuations; and
determine whether a refrigerant leak is occurring in the refrigeration system based, at least in part, on whether the detected fluctuations in the refrigerant level are abnormal.

2. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to determine whether the detected fluctuations in the refrigerant level are abnormal using a refrigerant level fluctuation model for the refrigeration system.

3. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to detect fluctuations in the refrigerant level in the refrigerant tank based, at least in part, on whether the refrigerant level is above or below a particular level in the refrigerant tank.

4. The computing device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to execute the instructions to determine whether the detected fluctuations in the refrigerant level are abnormal for current operating conditions of the refrigeration system.

5. The computing device of claim 4 , wherein:
the detected fluctuations in the refrigerant level are abnormal for the current operating conditions of the refrigeration system if the detected fluctuations are outside an expected fluctuation range for the current operating conditions; and
the detected fluctuations in the refrigerant level are not abnormal for the current operating conditions of the refrigeration system if the detected fluctuations are not outside the expected fluctuation range for the current operating conditions.

6. The computing device of claim 4 , wherein the current operating conditions of the refrigeration system include a current ambient temperature of the refrigeration system.

7. The computing device of claim 4 , wherein the current operating conditions of the refrigeration system include a current status of a condenser of the refrigeration system.

8. The computing device of claim 4 , wherein the current operating conditions of the refrigeration system include a current status of a hold back valve of a condenser of the refrigeration system.

9. The computing device of claim 4 , wherein the current operating conditions of the refrigeration system include a current cooling cycle status of the refrigeration system.

10. A method for detecting refrigerant leak in a refrigeration system, comprising:
detecting, by a computing device, fluctuations in a refrigerant level in a refrigerant tank of a refrigeration system;
determining a refrigerant level fluctuation model for the refrigeration system based, at least in part, on fluctuations in the refrigerant level in the refrigerant tank under historical operating conditions;
comparing, by the computing device, the detected fluctuations in the refrigerant level to the refrigerant level fluctuation model; and
determining whether a refrigerant leak is occurring in the refrigeration system based, at least in part, on the comparison of the detected fluctuations in the refrigerant level to the refrigerant level fluctuation model.

11. The method of claim 10 , wherein:
a refrigerant leak is occurring in the refrigeration system if the comparison of the detected fluctuations in the refrigerant level to the refrigerant level fluctuation model indicates the detected fluctuations are abnormal; and
a refrigerant leak is not occurring in the refrigeration system if the comparison of the detected fluctuations in the refrigerant level to the refrigerant level fluctuation model indicates the detected fluctuations are not abnormal.

12. The method of claim 10 , wherein the method includes determining whether a refrigerant leak is occurring in the refrigeration system without using a leak detection sensor.

13. The method of claim 10 , wherein the refrigerant level fluctuation model is a model of how the refrigerant level in the refrigerant tank is expected to fluctuate under different operating conditions for the refrigeration system.

14. A refrigeration system, comprising
a refrigerant tank, wherein the refrigerant tank includes a sensor configured to sense whether a refrigerant level in the refrigerant tank is above or below a particular level; and
a computing device configured to:
detect fluctuations in the refrigerant level in the refrigerant tank based, at least in part, on whether the refrigerant level is sensed to be above or below the particular level by the sensor;
determine whether the detected fluctuations in the refrigerant level are abnormal for current operating conditions of the refrigeration system, wherein the current operating conditions of the refrigeration system include:
a current status of a hold back valve of a condenser of the refrigeration system; or
a current cooling cycle status of the refrigeration system; and

determine whether a refrigerant leak is occurring in the refrigeration system based, at least in part, on whether the detected fluctuations in the refrigerant level are abnormal.

15. The refrigeration system of claim 14 , wherein the sensor is a float switch or an analog level sensor.

16. The refrigeration system of claim 14 , wherein the computing device is a controller of the refrigeration system.

17. The refrigeration system of claim 14 , wherein the refrigerant tank and the computing device are configured to communicate via a cloud computing environment.

18. The refrigeration system of claim 14 , wherein the computing device is configured to generate a notification upon determining a refrigerant leak is occurring in the refrigeration system.

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Shockley Nicholas

Classifications

• F25B2700/04

  Refrigerant level · CPC title

• G01M3/2807

  for pipes (G01M3/2892, G01M3/30 take precedence) · CPC title

• F25B49/005 Primary

  of safety devices (F25B49/02 and F25B49/04 take precedence) · CPC title

• F25B2400/22

  Refrigeration systems for supermarkets · CPC title

• F25B2500/222

  Detecting refrigerant leaks · CPC title